Head coach Ruben Amorim argues that changing Man Utd's formation due to public pressure would have signaled "the end" for him.
For the first time against Newcastle United, Amorim moved away from his trademark back three formation with wide defenders and opted to deploy an standard back four shielded by two defensive midfielders.
He himself conceded this ultimately functioned as a back six in the closing stages as his team dug in for a crucial result - securing just their second clean sheet of the campaign.
Despite he once memorably remarked that even the highest authority could compel him to tweak his system, Amorim asserts the capacity to utilize alternative formations has always been part of his long-term vision.
However, he emphasizes he could only implement the change when his team were doing well enough - lest it would appear as if he was giving in to external criticism.
"At the time I came here the previous campaign, I recognized maybe I don't have the personnel to perform effectively in that formation, but it was the beginning of a journey," he said.
"The goal was to forge an philosophy. Today is a separate juncture. We are missing a full complement of players, and we need adjust, so they see the reason we are making changes.
"This isn't because of the demands of journalists, or the supporters.
"When the press talk about changing the system all the time, I cannot change because the squad will understand I'm changing because of you and I believe that is a disaster for the coach.
"Once we are playing well in our system, that becomes the moment to evolve.
"We are going to develop into a better team because when all the personnel are back, we are not planning to play with a back three in every match."
Availability Crisis Persist
With only two victories in eight games prior to defeating Newcastle, it is arguable whether Amorim is correct to say his team have been in good form.
He is, though, working with a depleted roster, with seven first-team players already confirmed absent for the upcoming fixture against struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That number will rise if midfielder Mason Mount fails to recover the injury that forced his exit from the Newcastle game at the interval.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is among those who will miss the Wolves clash, even though he is reportedly pressing his boss to let him to return after his muscle injury.
"Bruno is already telling me he needs to train," revealed Amorim. "But there is absolutely no possibility he is going to feature against Wolves. No way. You can quote me on that."
Fernandes' Influence Is Unwavering
Nevertheless, the Portuguese star will probably continue to be heavily involved, as whereas most injured stars watch matches from the stands, Fernandes was seen monitoring the warm-ups from the mouth of the player's tunnel before the Newcastle game.
Amorim anticipates his leader to carry on providing input.
"The guy is a leader," he declared. "He cannot be the type of player that when he is not playing, he's silent and offering advice. He's always vocal. That is the reason he's the captain.
"There are flaws at times - the way he moves his arms - but he has a multitude of positive qualities. After he recovers, he heads to watch the other guys practicing. There are a lot of things that go unnoticed.
"I'm not sure if he desires my job or not, but he's a leader. The guy is a leader."
Recovery Schedule for Key Personnel
Although the specific timeline for the captain's comeback - and that of other injured players like Kobbie Mainoo, Matthijs de Ligt, and Harry Maguire - is unknown, by the end of January, the club will welcome back Noussair Mazraoui, Amad Diallo, and Bryan Mbeumo from international duty.
